King Charles III will give an address on Friday speaking to the nation for the first time as the reigning monarch of Great Britain following the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II.

On Thursday, Queen Elizabeth II passed away at the age of 96 at Balmoral Castle in Scotland, leaving her son, Britain's former Prince Charles, to take the throne at age 73.

According to Buckingham Palace, the king will address the country and the Commonwealth at 6 p.m. local time or 1 p.m. ET.

The address will be a pre-recorded message that will be viewed on all major channels in the United Kingdom, including BBC One, ITV, Channel 4, Sky News, and more, which have all paused their regular programming to cover the queen's death.

YouTube, as well as social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter, are also likely to stream the address.

King Charles III and his wife, Camilla, who is now the Queen Consort, returned to London from Balmoral on Friday morning and were seen greeting mourners outside of Buckingham Palace.

King Charles III greets crowds outside Buckingham Palace Latest https://t.co/AKjEtPjX08 pic.twitter.com/pdsJkEMrTW

They admired the flowers and memorials laid out on the gates of the palace as large crowds of mourners shouted, "God Save the King."

King Charles and his Queen Consort Camilla walk together along the wrought iron fence of Buckingham Palace, where countless bunches of flowers have been left in memory of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II. Latest: https://t.co/8AFWhoWFRI 📺 Sky 501 and YouTube pic.twitter.com/zlefM6sCYO

Paying tribute to his mother, King Charles III issued a statement on Thursday that read, "The death of my beloved Mother, Her Majesty The Queen, is a moment of the greatest sadness for me and all members of my family. We mourn profoundly the passing of a cherished Sovereign and a much-loved Mother. I know her loss will be deeply felt throughout the country, the Realms and the Commonwealth, and by countless people around the world."

The statement continued: "During this period of mourning and change, my family and I will be comforted and sustained by our knowledge of the respect and deep affection in which The Queen was so widely held."

All of the flags in the U.K. were lowered to half-staff on Thursday and bells tolled across the city as part of Operation London Bridge, a watertight plan long put in place for the occasion of the queen's death.

Following the king's address, Charles will later travel to Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Wales to attend services honoring his mother as part of his first duties as king.

A procession from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall will take place four days after the queen's death, where dignitaries will be allowed to visit her, followed by members of the public. It is expected that hundreds of thousands of people will come to pay their respects.

The funeral will take place on the ninth day, and she will then be laid to rest at Windsor Castle alongside her late husband Prince Philip, and her father, King George VI.

Newsweek reached out to the BBC for comment.

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